At The End of The Road
by Erebos Brando
Summary: He'd set out to become the very best, and now, after so long, Ash found himself at the end of the road, with just one final step to take...


Author's Notes: Pokémon (the animé) turns 20 years old today (in Japan anyway), and since the show creators don't have the decency to end Ash's story, here's my idea for an ending.

Happy Birthday, Pokémon! (the anime)

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 _This was it._

A well-lit, narrow hallway, the sounds of cheering crowds in the distance. Ash was deaf to them, the only sounds he could hear were that of his beating footsteps, and his beating heart.

 _This was it._

Pikachu was at his side. As their first steps had been taken, as would their last; together. Their gazes were focused ahead, a left turn incoming. One turn, and it would be one final stride to the end of their road. Ash had heard of ones steps feeling heavy, but had no concept of such a thing before today. Now, every step carried the world with it. They'd come so far, from Pallet town all the way to here. They'd started alone, their first trial a flock of angry Spearow, their final to determine if they would reach the pages of history. They'd started alone, and now they'd end-

Not quite so alone.

Between him, and the light beyond the hallway, were familiar faces, and the memories bound to them. From his journey through Kanto, through Kalos, they were here, those who stood with him each step of the way.

He and Pikachu had started alone, but they'd never truly _been_ alone.

With an eager wave, came a cry of "Dedenne!".

Clearly Ash wasn't the only one filled with excitement, along with Dedenne, a trio of familiar faces stood to greet him. "Hey guys. Come to wish me luck?"

Serena smiled, her face slightly red (or was that a trick of the light?). "Go get him, Ash," Serena emphasized her next words with a wink, "I know you can do it."

Before anyone else could say anything, Bonnie grabbed the front of Ash's jacket, pulling him down closer to eye level. "Make sure you win, Ash. I need you to." Before Ash could ask why- "You win, you get famous, and a lot of girls come after you. I want one for..." She raised her hand, pointing towards-

Clemont looked up from his-whatever it was."For?"

Bonnie smiled. "What'd you build this time?"

Ash had to make a mental note, to see if that familiar glint in those glasses was trademarked somewhere, as Clemont clasped the device in his hands shut. "My latest and greatest invention! The must-have for anyone looking to analyse Pokemon battling!" He held the device (which had a distinct resemblance to a very small Laptop) above his head. "The battle calculator 3000!"

Bonnie raised a brow. "What happened to the '2000'?"

It was striking, how Clemont's attitude could act like a balloon, and how easy it was to deflate. "The processor melted," his ego suddenly inflated again. "This one's perfect! But-uh, it's still, calculating." He put the device behind his back, his eyes darting in any direction that didn't end at Ash.

Bonnie grinned, slipping behind her brother and-"Yoink!" She tossed the (probably expensive) invention at Ash. "Here."

Ash snatched it right out of the air, opening it to see figures he couldn't begin to decipher, but two faces he knew well, and a flashing red-"Inconclusive." He looked up at its flustered inventor. "Not perfect?"

Clemont shook his head. "I _know_ it works. I've tested you against everyone else, and him too, but when I set you against eachother, I keep getting-this," he signalled the result on screen, then smiled. "It all comes down to you, Ash."

Ash grinned. "I'll get a result for you," he returned Clemont's contraption to him, "just watch."

Ash walked on, the last words of support from his Kalos compatriots joining the well of resolve he'd been filling in recent days.

 _This was it._

Before Kalos, had come Unova. Before Serena, Bonnie and Clemont, had come Iris and Cilan, and all the adventures they had. Cilan turned from looking at the end of the hall.

"Crowd's at full simmer, Ash. They're expecting a feast of a battle. Any concerns?"

"Not really."

Ash needed to work on his poker face, _something_ gave him away. "Then it's evaluation time! You've trained forever for this. You've prepared a banquet of well-trained Pokémon, blended a mix of power, speed and strategy, garnished with the strongest will to be found on this earth, and marinated it all in countless battles!" He signalled to the end of the hall, and the simmering crowds beyond. "Now go serve your opponent his defeat!"

This qualified as one of the weirdest pep talks Ash had received in his life, and was just as effective. "Thanks, Cilan. How about you, Iris? Any thoughts."

Iris smirked, her eyes closed. "You'll do fine." Her eyes opened, her smirk widening. "You're pretty tough, for a kid."

"I _am_ older than you, you know."

"Only physically," she pointed to his path. "Now go win."

 _This was it._

Making a mental note to make Iris pay for her remark at a later date, Ash walked on. The next face was alone, but no less distinguished. The smiling bluenette stood facing him, a Piplup at her feet.

Ash smiled.

Dawn raised her hand (as did Piplup).

Ash raised his (as did Pikachu).

There were no words.

 _*CLAP*_

None were needed.

 _This was it._

Ash walked on, the light beyond the hall growing brighter, illuminating a young woman in a familiar kerchief, and a young man in a lab coat. May seemed on the verge of bursting with excitement.

"I can't believe this is happening. I'm kinda nervous."

"You're not the one battling."

"Well I'm nervous for you, then!" She broke into a wide smile. "You can do it, Ash, just keep fighting until he stops fighting back!"

Ash grinned. "That's how I battle."

Max wasn't so amused. "This isn't just another battle, Ash. Not by a long shot. He's _the_ best." Max's gaze met Ash's, the air growing heavy, the words he spoke chilling the very air-Max smiled. "And you're better."

"Yeah." Ash smiled. "I am. See you when I'm done."

 _This was it._

Ash's footsteps seemed to reverberate, through the hall, through him, the moment filling him, overwhelming everything else. He'd walked towards battles many spent their lifetimes _failing_ to gain opportunity to fight, but this one, this one was something else, like the difference between dream and reality, but even the truest of reality could occasionally mirror a dream. Before him, were two faces he'd seen in this hall, on this day, a thousand times that never were. This time, the day was not a dream, the faces of his oldest friends were finally the truth.

"Hey."

"Hey."  
"Hey."

Ash...found himself suppressing the urge to laugh, he'd always pictured this moment with a greater degree of...prestige. "You ever see this day coming?"

Misty snorted. "When I met you, I'd have been surprised if you ever won a badge." (A _much_ greater degree of prestige...) "Then I got to know you." She smiled. "Then I just wondered how long you'd take to get here."

"After our battle," began Brock, "I knew after that, you'd go far. And the further I went with you, the further I knew you'd go." His gaze turned to the end of the hall, from where the sounds of the crowd were still going. "This is really it."

"Yeah." Ash stepped forward, the light in the distance leading to the crowds above. "You'll be watching, right?"

Brock's hand clasped a shoulder. "To the end."

As did Misty's. "You can do it, Ash."

"I will."

 _This was it._

Their hands parted from him, but _they_ did not. Their belief in him would never wane. Nor would his own belief. The fires of time had forged powerful mettle, and not just his own.

"You ready, buddy?"

"Pika!"

Ash moved forward, the cheering of the crowd beyond washing over him.

 _This was it._

From above, light shone through a hole in the ceiling. He came to a halt, the floor beneath his feet would soon rise. He took a breath, breathing in the world, the moment, the reality in. He gazed down, at his gloved hands. It felt like forever had passed since he set out, yet at the same time, felt like no time at all. Time imperceptible had forged him, experiences uncountable had tempered him, all for this day that would be marked for all time. He clenched his fists.

What a day it was going to be. **"** **Ladies of Gentlemen!** **"** Ash lowered his hands, affirmed his stance, it was time. **"** **Today, we witness the ultimate battle, between two titans of trainers! Pillars of training, dedication to battle, and skill!** **Today! We see who is the strongest!** **Presenting our challenger!"**

The world beneath Ash shifted, in more ways than one, the floor, and his excitement rising, the light above growing brighter and brighter-and he was in the world above, in the largest, and grandest arena ever built for battling, the only grounds sufficient for the fight to come.

" **Kanto Pokemon Champion, Ash Ketchum!"**

The crowds roars became thunderous, an ocean of faces unleashing a deluge of cheer. Where his friends were, he couldn't have hoped to guess. Where his previous opponents were, much the same. Friend and foe blended as one, all their eyes upon him. Ash walked forward, Pikachu at his side, their glorious stride to their place in the world. If every trainer in the world could get fifteen seconds of fame, few would wish for anything less than his moment. For one moment, the world was in his hands.

" **And his opponent."**

And just like that, it was gone. All eyes, in the arena, the cameras, and the countless eyes beyond turned to one spot. **"** **A man who needs no introduction."** Not to Ash, he'd known his opponent's name for as long as he'd been capable of memory. **"T** **he League's strongest, the world's strongest."** _There._ He was arising, his visage in plain sight. **"** **Pokémon** **Grandmaster, Quentin Gelden!"**

 _This was it._

One man, a tall man, clad in a brown trench coat, his piercing dark green eyes open. His white hair was obscured under his hat, a brown fedora. At his side, a Smeargle stood, its black-tipped tail dancing in the air. They strode forward, every step a portent of what was to come, what Ash had come all the way for, through every day of his life.

Quentin and his partner came to a halt, their place in the world found, right across from his opponent. "I've been looking forward to this." He smiled. "Make it worth the wait."

Ash couldn't help but grin. "Right back at ya."

His gesture was returned in kind. "Come and get me, Ash Ketchum!"

The challenge had been made, two trainers, two _masters_ ready for the ultimate battle. Tension so great, it was a wonder it didn't shatter the world around them. Human and Pokémon stared one another down, the long battle's opening salvo already loosed, seeking weakness. Finding none, Ash's unspoken words ringing in the air. _Here I come._

Quentin had not been the only one waiting. Since Ash was capable of memory, he'd awaited one thing, one day. This day.

 _This was it._

Away and above the arena, an old man stood before a microphone, his getup at odds with the context of the time and place, but all the same, Charles Goodshow had something to say.

" **The mantle of Grandmaster stands contested. As it has been since the first Grandmaster, the worthy will be decided on the battlefield!"**

 _This was it._

 _The end of the road._

Everyone else there was to beat, he'd beat. He'd walked every path, surmounted every mountain, overcame every obstacle. Every day, every hour, every waking moment, all on the road to be the very best, it all came down to this.

 _Now, all that remained, was one final step._

" **Let the battle begin!"**

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End

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Author's Notes:

I don't know who did it, but one of my fics made it onto TV Tropes. I'm moving up in the world, it seems.

Thanks, whoever went to the trouble to get When a Dream is Done on the site, I really appreciate it.

P.S.

For those of you wondering why I didn't include character's from the Sun & Moon series, it's simple; I don't know them, at all (not even their names). I barely know anything about Ash's friends after Brock and Misty (as some of my readers can attest). Sorry, any hardcore Sun & Moon fans, but this is what I got. I'm an OG Pokemon fan, through and through.

P.P.S

I would make an April Fools joke announcing an upcoming fic, but for the joke to really work a new fic by me would have to be a _good_ thing.


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